The National Assembly voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, suspending him from authority following a botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3 that has thrown Korea into political turmoil.
The impeachment motion, passed during a plenary session that started around 4 p.m., was approved through a secret ballot.
Of the National Assembly’s 300 lawmakers, all 300 participated in the vote, with 204 supporting the motion, 85 opposing it, three abstaining and eight votes declared invalid.
While at least eight lawmakers from the president's conservative People Power Party (PPP), which formally opposed the impeachment, were needed to defect and vote in favor for the motion to pass, 12 appear to have broken ranks and joined the 192 lawmakers from the liberal bloc led by the Democratic Party (DP). The defections were enough to push the impeachment motion past the required 200-vote threshold.
Saturday’s motion marks the third impeachment of a sitting president by the National Assembly in Korean history, following the late President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016.
The impeachment motion cited Yoon’s violation of the Constitution and laws governing martial law conduct of public officials, as well as the criminal charge of treason for his actions surrounding Dec. 3’s short-lived martial law declaration.
With Yoon's authority now suspended, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will step in as acting president in accordance with the Constitution.
The impeachment motion is due to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, where six out of nine justices need to give their approval for the president’s removal to be finalized. If his impeachment is upheld, Yoon will become the second Korean president to be removed from office during their term, following Park's ouster in 2017. Roh, in contrast, returned to office after the court rejected the motion.
Yoon’s impeachment comes just 949 days after he assumed office as Korea’s 20th president on May 10, 2022.
Yoon’s impeachment is widely seen by observers to work to the advantage of Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the DP, the largest party in the National Assembly with 170 seats. Lee is considered the liberal camp’s frontrunner for the next presidential election.
According to the Constitution, a presidential vacancy due to impeachment or resignation necessitates a by-election within 60 days. The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to decide on the motion, but analysts predict a conclusion by March or April next year, based on precedent and the urgency of the situation. In 2017, following Park's impeachment, the Constitutional Court upheld the motion on March 10 and a presidential election was held on May 9.
BY SEO JI-EUN,LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]
The National Assembly voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, suspending him from authority following a botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3 that has thrown Korea into political turmoil.
The impeachment motion, passed during a plenary session that started around 4 p.m., was approved through a secret ballot.
Of the National Assembly’s 300 lawmakers, all 300 participated in the vote, with 204 supporting the motion, 85 opposing it, three abstaining and eight votes declared invalid.
While at least eight lawmakers from the president's conservative People Power Party (PPP), which formally opposed the impeachment, were needed to defect and vote in favor for the motion to pass, 12 appear to have broken ranks and joined the 192 lawmakers from the liberal bloc led by the Democratic Party (DP). The defections were enough to push the impeachment motion past the required 200-vote threshold.
Saturday’s motion marks the third impeachment of a sitting president by the National Assembly in Korean history, following the late President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004 and Park Geun-hye in 2016.
The impeachment motion cited Yoon’s violation of the Constitution and laws governing martial law conduct of public officials, as well as the criminal charge of treason for his actions surrounding Dec. 3’s short-lived martial law declaration.
With Yoon's authority now suspended, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will step in as acting president in accordance with the Constitution.
The impeachment motion is due to be reviewed by the Constitutional Court, where six out of nine justices need to give their approval for the president’s removal to be finalized. If his impeachment is upheld, Yoon will become the second Korean president to be removed from office during their term, following Park's ouster in 2017. Roh, in contrast, returned to office after the court rejected the motion.
Yoon’s impeachment comes just 949 days after he assumed office as Korea’s 20th president on May 10, 2022.
His suspension from office marks a stunning reversal of fortunes for a former prosecutor who made his name spearheading the investigation into former President Park and later defying his predecessor Moon Jae-in’s justice ministers, who sought to rein in the powerful state prosecution service he once headed.
He transitioned into politics less than a year before the last presidential election, which he narrowly won by a margin of less than 1 percent.
Yoon’s impeachment is widely seen by observers to work to the advantage of Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the DP, the largest party in the National Assembly with 170 seats. Lee is considered the liberal camp’s frontrunner for the next presidential election.
However, Lee’s recent conviction on charges of violating the election law as well as his other ongoing criminal investigations on charges of subornation, corruption and bribery stemming from his time as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor are likely to receive greater scrutiny should he mount another presidential run.
According to the Constitution, a presidential vacancy due to impeachment or resignation necessitates a by-election within 60 days. The Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to decide on the motion, but analysts predict a conclusion by March or April next year, based on precedent and the urgency of the situation. In 2017, following Park's impeachment, the Constitutional Court upheld the motion on March 10 and a presidential election was held on May 9.
BY SEO JI-EUN,LIM JEONG-WON [lihttp://m.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]
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윤석열 대통령 탄핵
국회는 토요일에 윤석열 대통령 탄핵안을 투표하여 12월 3일 계엄령 선언이 실패한 후 한국을 정치적 혼란에 빠뜨린 후 그를 권한에서 정지시켰습니다.
오후 4시경 시작된 본회의에서 통과된 탄핵안은 비밀 투표를 통해 승인되었습니다.
국회의원 300명 중 300명 전원이 투표에 참여하여 204명이 찬성, 85명이 반대, 3명이 기권, 8표가 무효로 선언되었습니다.
탄핵에 공식적으로 반대했던 대통령의 보수적 국민의힘(PPP) 소속 의원 최소 8명이 탈당하여 동의안 통과에 찬성표를 던져야 했지만, 12명이 대열을 이탈하여 민주당(DP)이 이끄는 자유주의 블록 소속 의원 192명에 합류한 것으로 보입니다. 탈당만으로도 탄핵안이 필요한 200표 한계를 넘어설 수 있었습니다.
토요일 탄핵안은 한국 역사상 국회가 현직 대통령을 탄핵한 세 번째 사례로, 2004년 노무현 전 대통령과 2016년 박근혜 전 대통령에 이어 세 번째입니다.
탄핵안은 윤 전 대통령의 헌법 및 공무원의 계엄령 행위를 규정하는 법률 위반과 12월 3일 단명한 계엄령 선포와 관련된 그의 행동에 대한 반역죄 혐의를 인용했습니다.
윤 전 대통령의 권한이 정지됨에 따라 한덕수 총리가 헌법에 따라 대통령 권한대행을 맡게 됩니다.
탄핵안은 헌법재판소에서 검토될 예정이며, 9명의 판사 중 6명이 대통령의 파면을 확정하기 위해 승인을 해야 합니다. 탄핵이 유지된다면 윤은 2017년 박 대통령의 축출에 이어 임기 중에 파면되는 두 번째 한국 대통령이 될 것입니다. 반면 노 대통령은 법원이 탄핵안을 기각한 후 대통령으로 복귀했습니다.
윤의 탄핵은 국회에서 170석을 차지한 최대 정당인 민주당의 이재명 대표에게 유리하게 작용할 것이라는 관측이 널리 퍼져 있다. 이 대표는 다음 대선에서 진보 진영의 선두 주자로 여겨진다.
헌법에 따르면 탄핵이나 사임으로 인한 대통령의 공석은 60일 이내에 보궐선거를 실시해야 한다. 헌법재판소는 탄핵안에 대해 최대 180일 이내에 결정을 내려야 하지만, 전문가들은 선례와 상황의 시급성을 감안할 때 내년 3월이나 4월에 결론이 날 것으로 예측한다. 2017년 박 대통령의 탄핵 이후 헌법재판소는 3월 10일에 탄핵안을 지지했고, 5월 9일에 대선이 실시되었다.
서지은, 임정원 기자 [ lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr ]
- the source of the news -
Koreajoongangdaily
President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached
The National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol in a secret ballot vote on Saturday, with 204 votes in favor.
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
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